Antifreezing apparatus.



J. H. DERBY.

ANTIFREEZING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.22, 1914.

1,202,976. Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

. 4 2 I, A W 4? JOHN H. DERBY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ANTIFREEZING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented' Oct. 31, 1916.

Application filed December 22, 1914. I Serial No. 878,545.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. DERBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, New York, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Antifreezing Apparatus, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to anti-freezing ap paratus, more particularly adapted to prevent the freezing of the water in a tank such as is used on top of buildings.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means forpreventing the bursting of a water tank by the freezing of water therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for locally heating a portion of the upper surface water in a water-tank so as to prevent the formation of ice at such local point.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an eflicient and practical apparatus for a purpose such as mentioned and which may be associated with electrically controlled devices adapted automatically to connect with the main and to automatically supply current to an electric heater.

ent invention the same consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter describedand then claimed with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a suitable embodiment of the invention and in which Figure 1 is a central section of a tank provided with the present improvements; Fig. 2 is a plan of that portion of the apparatus which extends into the water or other liquid in the tank; and Fig. 3 is an elevation of parts of the electrical details of the apparatus, showing the circuits and other parts diagrammatically.

The tank 10 may contain water or other liquid which it is desired shall not be frozen in such way as to tend to burst the tank. Preferably into the upper central portion of the tank there extends a tubular support 11 mounted on any suitable part 12 of the tank. Suitably mounted on the said support 11 is a transverse support or bar 13 from which is supported in any suitable manner a heat insulating inclosure 14 which extends into or is almost entirely submerged in the liquid in the tank, so as to inclose a column of liq uid at 15. The'said inclosure 14 is prefer ably composed of a plurality of shells 16 which are spaced the desired distance apart so as to provide air insulating spaces 17,

while the upper and lower ends of said shells are suitably secured together at 18, 19, so as to provide sealed air spaces. Preferably the said shells are composed of metal and are of tubular formation.

There is secured in any suitable manner to the depending support 11 a hollow head 20, which contains an electric heating unit or units 21. It will be seen that when the heater 20, 21' is heated up that the local column of liquid 15 will alsoybe heated .and consequently prevent the formation of ice at the surface of said column, and thus prevent the bursting of the tank. The heat is preferably provided by electrical devices, to which end any controlled and controlling devices such as shown in Fig. 3 may be employed, and said devices may be supported on a plate or inclosed in a casing 22 suspended from the top of the tank as indicated in Fig. 1. The preferred electrical means referred to comprise the wires 23, 24 of a feed main which may carry a current of say from 110 to 220 volts, said wires leading to a plate 25 'on which is mounted a pair of circuit-closers 26, 27 and a pair of fuses 28, 29, and wires 30, 31 are continued from the fuses,.while embodied in the circuit are suitable resistance units 32, 33, such as the H. Vard Leonard resistance, which prevent a too sudden flow of current in said circuit. In the side 30 of the feed main 23, 24 there is also included an energizable device such as a solenoid 34, while the wire 30 then connects with a recording electric thermometer such as that made by Schaeffer & Budenburg Mfg. Co., which comprises a dial 35 and a pivoted contact arm or indicator 36 which is electrically connected with wire 30 and is provided with a wheel 36 adapted to sweep over and make electrical contact with a fixed contact 31 connected with the wire 31. Said recorder constitutes an automatic circuitclosing device.

The armature 37 of the solenoid 34 is adapted to bridge the contacts 38, 39 and close a circuit when the solenoid is energized. This circuit comprises additionally a branch 40 connecting the wire 30 and the contact 38, and a wire 41 which leads from contact 39. A wire 42 is also comprised-in the circuit and leads from the wire 31 of the feed main. The solenoid and its associated parts may be of the type of self-starters shown in Bulletin 6100 of Cutler-Hammer Mfg. Co. The wires 41, 42 of the shunt circuit are electrically connected with the heating unit 21, to which end said wires preferably extend through the hollow support 11 of the heater. Associated with the recording electric thermometer 35, 36 is a mercury filled bulb 43 which dips into thecolumn of liquid 15, and is connected in well known manner with the recording electric thermometer by means of a flexible capillary tube 44.

The operation is as follows: In freezing weather the switches 26, 27 of the feed main are moved to closed position shown in full lines. If, now, the temperature is such that it would tend to freeze the water in the tank, the mercury in the bulb 43 will act upon the recording electric thermometer 35, 36 which is sensitive to the lowered temperature and will move the contact 36 to closed position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The circuit of the feed main being now closed the resistances 32, 33 will act in well known manner and at the same time the solenoid 34 will be energized and attract the armature or movable contact 37 thereof and close the shunt circuit at 38, 39. Thereupon current will flow through said circuit in obvious manner and heat the heating unit 21. This automatic action will thereupon create heat which will heat the column of liquid within the heat insulating inclosure 14, thereby preventing the formation of ice at the surface of said column.

This invention is susceptible of modifications, as parts may be omitted, parts added and parts modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

\Vhat I claim as new is 1. In an anti-freezing apparatus, the combination with a receptacle fora liquid, of a heater arranged in the liquid chamber thereof below the liquid level, means for supplying a heating medium to said heater, and

control means arranged in said chamber of said receptacle below the liquid level and sensitive to a lowered temperature of saidliquid, for automatically controlling the supply of heating medium to said heater.

2. In an anti-freezing apparatus, the combination with a receptacle for a liquid, of a heater arranged therein below the liquid level, means for supplying a heating medium to said heater, and control means arranged in said receptacle'below the liquid level and sensitive to a lowered temperature of said liquid, for automatically controlling the Supply of heating medium to said heater, and a heat insulating inclosure extending into said receptacle below the liquid level, and in which said heater and said control means are located.

3. In an anti-freezing apparatus, the combination with a receptacle for aliquid, and which is exemplified by a weather exposed cold water supply tank, of a heater arranged therein below the liquid level, means for supplying a heating medium to said heater, means for controlling said supply means, and a heat insulating inclosure extending into said receptacle below the liquid level, and in which said heater is located, said inclosure being open at top above the highest liquid level and at the bottom, to the outer air and liquid respectively, the said open top of said inclosure preventing the freezing over of the liquid within it, whereby the bursting of said receptacle by the formation of ice is precluded.

4. In an anti-freezing apparatus, the combination with a receptacle for a liquid, of a' heater arranged therein below the liquid level, means for supplying a heating medium to said heater, means for controlling said supply means, and a heat insulating inclosure comprising at least three substan tially concentric shells having air spaces between them, andextending into said receptacle below the liquid level, and in which said heater is located.

5. In an anti-freezing apparatus, the combination with a receptacle for -a liquid exposed'to a freezing temperature, of means therein, open to said liquid, and to the outer air at a point above the liquid level, for locally heating a portion of the upper part of said liquid, and preventing freezing of said liquid portion, even though the remainder of the said upper part of liquid may freeze, and means associated with and surrounded by a part of said heating means and located below the said liquid level for automatically controlling the heating medium supplied to said heating means.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 21st day E. R. NEWELL, BEATRICE MIRVIS. 

